Perdita hesitated on the threshold of her parents' house, slowing as her eyes landed on the four individuals lounging on the patio. Shifting her gaze to the kitchen, she met her mother’s eye through the open doorway. Her mother was stationed at the counter, accompanied by the chef and the housekeeper. Perdita’s lips pressed into a firm line. "Orion didn’t mention he’d be here for brunch today," she muttered. "Or that he’d be bringing guests."

"Well, it’s been an absolute joy," her mother replied dryly before taking an enthusiastic sip from her mimosa. She immediately began preparing a second. Nearby, Meredith, the housekeeper, responded with a disapproving huff, corroborating the sarcasm in her tone. "Ambrose has already had too much to drink, Caspian hasn’t uttered more than two words, and your father and Orion have been arguing over money since they sat down. Honestly, I came in here just to drink enough to tolerate it. Care to join me?"

Laughing softly, Perdita accepted the glass offered to her. "Bottoms up." She took a long sip, smacked her lips, and grinned. "That’s delicious."

"Thank you," her mother said with a smirk. "I told your father that if I had to endure the nonsense outside, I was cracking open the anniversary champagne he’d been saving."

Perdita chuckled. "Seems fair to me."

The two clinked glasses with matching mischievous grins.

"How’s the new book coming along?" her mother asked, leaning casually against the counter.

"Really well," Perdita replied, excitement evident in her tone. She was particularly thrilled about the updated cover design, which featured an image she’d found of none other than Caspian Harrington. The original photo of him on a rugby fan site showed him shirtless after scoring a try—a moment she had decided to transform into tasteful art. Though it was still being fine-tuned, she loved the idea of sending him a copy once it was published. "The final edits are nearly done. It’s set to release in ten days."

"I can’t wait to read it," her mother said enthusiastically.

Perdita giggled. "Daddy won’t be quite as thrilled. He hates my books."

Her mother gave her a knowing look. "He actually admires your work. He just has no interest in actually reading it," she corrected. Then leaning slightly forward, she sighed. "Your father’s waving us over. Shall we?"

"If we must." Perdita laughed as she led the way to the patio. Approaching her father, who sat at the head of the table, she broke into a warm smile. "Hi, Daddy," she greeted cheerfully before plopping onto his lap and planting a kiss on his cheek. "You ditched me for lunch on Friday, you know," she scolded lightly. "Stood me up, even."

"You stood her up?" Orion chimed in with mock outrage. "What, were you busy banging your secretary?"

Unfazed, their father replied smoothly, "As a matter of fact, yes. Seraphina has been stepping in for my admin, who’s on maternity leave. We decided to play hooky and spent Friday in bed." His bluntness left an amused smirk on his face.

Perdita groaned, sliding off his lap in disgust. "Dad, please! Don’t share things like that while I’m sitting on you. Gross."

Her mother chuckled, squeezing her shoulder. "Spare me the faux modesty," she teased.

Perdita rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve walked into a room with my hands over my face, praying I wouldn’t see something I couldn’t unsee?" She avoided making eye contact with the man seated on the far side of the table, whose intense stare made her uneasy.

"When do you leave for your trip, Peri?" her father asked, leaning back as Meredith began arranging the table.

"A trip?" Orion jumped in, frowning. "Who’s paying for this trip? Where are you going?"

Perdita stifled a laugh, seeing through every inch of her brother’s manipulative nosiness. "Yes, I am taking a very well-earned vacation," she said sweetly. "It’s been nearly eighteen months since I’ve had a proper day off."

Ambrose, who had been nursing a drink, finally spoke up. "You work? What exactly do you do?"

Her father turned to Ambrose with a baffled expression. "Are you telling me you don’t know? You’ve known her all your life. Your sister’s best friends with her, and yet you don’t know what she does?"

Ambrose gave an uneasy shrug. "She’s not my sister, Mr. Blackwood." He then shot a pointed look at Orion. "Even he doesn’t know."

Perdita leaned forward, her expression sharp. "Of course he doesn’t. Orion’s too self-absorbed to think about anyone but himself," she said flatly. She watched as her brother tightened his grip around his fork. "Let’s face it, our so-called family gatherings only revolve around two things—Ora begging for more money for his ridiculous schemes or him taking cheap shots at me and Mom. The only reason he even shows up is because Dad threatens to cut off his allowance otherwise. But since he managed to dip into his trust just two weeks ago, I have to admit I’m curious as to why we’re graced with his presence again." Smirking, she briefly met Caspian’s gaze. He hadn’t looked away from her once. Interesting.

"That’s enough, Perdita," her father warned. "Play nice."

She arched a brow. "Last time I was here, he locked me in the pantry after you and Mom left for golf. I had to break the doorknob off to get out. Maybe direct the ‘play nice’ talk at him." Turning to Ambrose, she added smoothly, "For your information, I’m a New York Times bestselling author. Five of my books have topped the charts in the last seven years."

Orion scoffed, crossing his arms. "Please. I’d know if you were on the New York Times bestseller list."

Perdita didn’t miss a beat. "You wouldn’t know your left foot from your right, let alone manage to read an article, you illiterate buffoon." She turned to Meredith, breaking into a wide smile. "Oh, Meredith, this looks absolutely wonderful. Thank you."

Meredith chuckled as Perdita kissed her knuckles in gratitude. "You’re too kind."

"Also," Meredith added, smiling warmly, "thank you for the birthday gift, Perdita. I absolutely adore it."

"I’m so glad," Perdita replied sincerely before settling into her seat.